Among the knights, there was a man who stood out amidst them. He was an older man, certainly older than the rest of the knights present here. His black hair already had strands of grey peeking through, and his face was already showing signs of wrinkling.
Despite this, the aura he was emitting was immense. Despite his suppression of it, Gareth could still sense that he was far stronger than an average knight.
In fact, he even had the faint idea that this man in front of him was stronger than the Countess herself. That could only mean one thing.
This man in front of him was an Ardent warrior. And a strong one at that. Gareth was intrigued, but knew he wouldn't get an answer out of him. In fact, he might even get punished for speaking to him.
"Commander Donovan, it's nice to see you again." The Countess spoke, addressing the middle-aged man.
"My Lady, what brings you here? If you needed me, you should have just summoned me." He said, while raising his head. Despite his words, his face remained a stoic mask, making him look a bit scary.
"Fufufu, I'm not going to bother my knight's commander over a small issue." She said while chuckling a bit. That's right. This old man was the Commander of the Knights of the County of Virelle.
He was an incredibly powerful Ardent who had been serving the County since even before Alina became the Countess. Unlike normal Ardents who spent less time with normal people, he actually preferred it.
He didn't mind it and even became the Commander of Knights, training young and promising knights in the County to serve the Lady of the House.
In this estate, aside from the Countess herself, he was probably the most respected individual. Even Alina, the Countess herself, wouldn't bother him unless it was necessary.
"So why are you here?" Commander Donovan asked once again.
"It's simple, really. I just want you to train this guy here." She said while pointing towards Gareth, who was standing behind her.
Only now did the Commander turn his gaze towards Gareth. Scanning him from head to toe, he could tell that he was muscular. Not bulky, but he could tell that he was physically fit.
And judging by how handsome he was, he knew the Countess probably had a thing for him. However, it wasn't his place to judge her preferences, nor did it really matter to him.
However, now that she was asking him to train her, he couldn't help but take a good look at him.
'Well, at least he looks fit. I won't have to mould him from the ground up.' Commander Donovan thought internally.
"By training him, what do you mean?" He asked, wanting to clarify the level of involvement the Countess was expecting from him. If she were doing this on a whim or to satisfy the wishes of one of her lovers, he wouldn't pay too much attention to it. However, her response surprised him.
"I want you to train him to the best of your ability. Make sure to make a capable warrior out of him." The Countess said, the seriousness evident in her voice.
Commander Donovan squinted his eyebrows when he heard this. It wasn't just the request she was making; it was her choice of words. By saying warrior, not knight, was the Countess implying something else?
That was the thought that was going through his mind. He couldn't help but see Gareth in a new light. He knew the Countess well enough to know she wouldn't make this request on a whim.
If it was indeed what he was thinking, then...
"Very well, your wish is my command, my Lady." He said while bowing his head slightly.
Satisfied, the Countess turned back to Gareth and said.
"From now on, you'll be training with the knights. I expect you to put your best efforts and not slack off."
"Of course, my Lady," Gareth said. With that, the Countess turned around and left, leaving Gareth at the mercy of Commander Donovan.
"I-" Before Gareth could even speak, Commander Donovan cut him off.
"I don't know why the Countess brought you to me, and I could frankly care less. Now that you are in my care, you will follow my orders.
The Countess wants me to mould you into a fine warrior, so I will mould you into a fine warrior, whether you are willing or not. You are to do everything I say without question.
When I say jump, you say?"
"Jump?" said Gareth in a more questioning tone.
"NO! YOU DON'T SAY ANYTHING! YOU SIMPLY JUMP! IS THAT CLEAR?" Commander Donovan suddenly yelled at Gareth, startling him a bit.
He instinctively stood at attention, with his feet apart and hands behind his back.
"Yes, sir!" Gareth responded, raising his voice as well.
"Since we are almost done with training for today, we'll take things a bit easier. Run twenty laps around the manor. When you're done with that, you'll begin lifting these weighted sacks."
'That's taking things easy?' wondered Gareth, though he didn't say it out loud.
As a Count's residence, the manor was big, with various facilities built around it. A normal man starting for the first time wouldn't even be able to complete ten, yet this commander was asking him to complete twenty.
There was a dedicated path already for the knights to make their laps, so there was no way for him to cheat. However, Gareth wasn't discouraged; rather, he was excited.
He rolled up his sleeves and within a few moments, he took off. Running drills weren't new to him, and in no time, he got himself into a good pace.
However, what Gareth didn't know was that among the knights that were training, there was one staring at him with malice in his eyes.